System Integration Frameworks

Presented at INCOSE 2005

Joseph J. Simpson and Mary J. Simpson

An organizations ability to effectively create, deploy and use system integration frameworks is a discriminating technical capability which will continure to grow in importance for the design, development and deployment of future engineeried systems.  Engineering activities utilized in large-scale systems integration processes are strongly associated with organized problem solving and complexity reduction.  This paper outlines the relationships between systems, meta-systems, and integration frameworks as well as complexity measures, reduction and management.  The primary thesis of this paper relates to the design and use of integration frameworks as a fundamental means of complexity reduction.  A system "abstraction frame" concept is presented and related to classical systems engineering mathematics and practices.  A proposal for a systems engineering language completes the content of this paper.  A formal systems engineering language will greatly reduce complexity in the practice of systems engineering, as well as facilitate the solution of even more complex problems.

A link to the paper in PDF format: System Integration Frameworks

A link to the presentation slides in PDF format: System Integration Frameworks Slides